Martial Arts Simulator

Just as Jing City was about to descend into chaos, a figure appeared above the city at some unknown moment, standing in midair between the towering buildings.

"Martial artists, maintain order and protect the civilians!"

That utterly calm voice seemed to contain some special power. Countless figures flashed out from every corner of the city, appearing wherever panic existed, and soon the entire city settled down.

The immense sandstorm that had been about to swallow the city in the blink of an eye also came to an abrupt, uncanny halt, simply because the man in midair had extended one hand.

The scorching heat was receding as well. Those blazing rays of sunlight seemed able to shine only upon that man's head, no longer reaching any lower.

The entire process lasted less than a minute. Jing City's power system soon restarted, the protective shield rose again, and the figure standing in midair flew directly out of the city, vanishing into the depths of the scorched earth.

The faint howls soon came to an abrupt stop.

In his daze, a soft hand pulled Shen Qian to his feet. Yet the fresh fragrance quickly faded, and another familiar voice sounded beside his ear. "Shen Qian, are you okay?"

"Help me take a look!" Shen Qian said nervously as he got to his feet, feeling a little dizzy.

Wang Yangming helped examine him, then let out a breath of relief. "Luckily, you only have a few scrapes."

Shen Qian relaxed as well. In this era, hospitals really were places few people could afford to visit, even with students getting a seventy percent discount.

Shen Qian glanced toward the girls who had gathered together. Ding Yi was completely unhurt; even her clothes had not gotten dirty.

"You didn't see it just now. Ding Yi protected six or seven girls all by herself. She actually used the martial skill Vital Energy Shield, something that only appeared in competition textbooks. She was no worse than Teacher Liu! Sure enough, she'd already officially advanced to become a martial artist!"

Noticing Shen Qian's gaze, Wang Yangming could not help exclaiming in amazement.

A martial artist?

Shen Qian was not particularly surprised. Anyone who had been recommended for admission to Northern Martial University would not be ordinary, no matter how outstanding they were.

"What happened just now?"

"No idea. I'm completely baffled too."

Besides the two of them, the surrounding students were also discussing the accident, but no one knew what had actually happened.

"Is everyone all right?"

Homeroom teacher Liu Simin checked on each student one by one. Fortunately, even the most seriously injured student had merely been knocked unconscious and was not in any real danger. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

"Such a serious accident has occurred, so today's visit will be temporarily suspended. We—"

Before Liu Simin could finish, a commotion suddenly arose outside, followed by an unusual oppressive feeling that made everyone struggle to breathe.

Frowning, Liu Simin walked outside. The students vaguely heard sounds of an argument, and before long, Liu Simin returned with an ugly expression.

Following beside her were more than ten men and women in black uniforms, their faces cold and stern.

"Police Warriors?"

Feeling the powerful Aura radiating from these people, the students present all fell silent as cicadas in winter.

"My apologies, children. We have preliminarily confirmed that Jingcheng Museum was the point of origin for this Level Two incident. We need to inspect everyone present. We hope you will cooperate."

A man who looked like the captain smiled as he spoke.

"I already told you, the people visiting Jingcheng Museum today are all senior students from No.7 High School. Do you really think a group who haven't even advanced to martial artists could have caused such a huge disturbance?"

Liu Simin said angrily.

"We are merely doing our job. Please understand, Teacher."

Liu Simin also knew the other party was speaking the truth. It was not just Class 109; Police Warriors had also intervened in the other classes visiting that day. Outside the museum, large numbers of Police Warriors had formed an impenetrable encirclement.

With a wave of the man's hand, the Police Warriors divided into male and female teams and began searching the students present, while the captain carefully inspected the museum grounds.

Standing in a corner, Shen Qian inexplicably felt a flicker of unease.

He vaguely remembered that the strange shockwave seemed to have exploded right beside him, but that old-fashioned phone could not possibly have had such destructive power, could it?

Soon, a Police Warrior holding a special detector walked up beside Shen Qian.

The entire process was swift. It ended before Shen Qian even felt much of anything.

"No abnormalities."

Hearing the Police Warrior's words, Shen Qian was certain he had indeed been overthinking things.

Only after the senior teachers and students of No.7 High School left the museum and saw the devastation across Jing City did they understand why the Police Martial Bureau had mobilized such a massive force.

"The entire city's power system was paralyzed. This is too outrageous!"

Class 109's top liberal arts student, Zhang Liangwei, who wore thick glasses, excitedly began explaining on the bus.

"You have to know that while Jing City isn't a first-tier city, because of Marquis Jingcheng, its defense system rivals that of a first-tier city. It takes more than three nuclear power plants to sustain it. What could have drained such an enormous amount of electricity in an instant?"

Compared to this knowledge that few cared about, more people were exclaiming over another news alert.

"Shen Qian, look! Marquis Jingcheng actually made a move just now!"

Wang Yangming excitedly activated the holographic projection on his wristband. Within the projection, a figure stood in midair between the skyscrapers.

Though it lasted only a few short seconds, that peerless bearing seemed to pierce through the projection, leaving every student utterly enthralled.

"I wonder what realm Marquis Jingcheng's martial cultivation has reached..."

"It definitely exceeds the Mountain Sea Realm. He's already a martial artist capable of flying."

"More than that, probably. Jing City has several martial artists in the Mountain Sea Realm, but only one has been granted a marquis title."

"By the way, Teacher Liu, what does it take to be granted a marquis title?"

Facing the curious gazes of the students, Liu Simin hesitated, then shook her head with a bitter smile. "Well... Teacher doesn't actually know either."

"Even Teacher doesn't know?" The surrounding students were all surprised.

"Teacher didn't get into a Martial Arts University back then. I only broke through to become a martial artist after entering society."

"And the martial arts books in high school only classify the martial realms that currently exist. Many things are not explained in detail. As for how one becomes a marquis, forget the books—even online, few people can explain it clearly. But there must be some very special reason."

Liu Simin paused before continuing, "In Teacher's view, the reason there is not much explanation of the martial realms is also to stop everyone from aiming too high. After all, martial arts require keeping one's feet on the ground..."

Shen Qian automatically filtered out Liu Simin's moral instruction. As for Marquis Jingcheng's figure, it lingered in his mind for only a second before he dismissed it.

Even the Mountain Sea Realm everyone spoke of was like a distant, unreachable dream to him.

Because of today's unexpected accident, many students had suffered minor injuries. After they returned to school, the grade level immediately issued a notice: the three classes that had visited the museum that day were given a day off. Those who were sick could seek treatment, while those who were not could go home and study on their own.

Amid the cheers of most students, Class 109 dispersed on the spot at the sports field.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Qian headed toward a certain area within the school.

No.7 High School's Physical Testing Hall occupied an enormous area. Although the school as a whole still lagged far behind Jingcheng First High School and No. 2 Middle School, its Physical Testing Hall facilities were no less impressive.

Shen Qian wandered over to the administrator's office and poked his head in for a look.

"What are you sneaking around for, kid?" There was only a white-haired old man and a young man organizing documents in the office. The old man was browsing city news on his wristband when he spotted Shen Qian and could not help laughing.

"Grandpa Xu, Brother Zhang, just you two here?" Seeing no one else, Shen Qian immediately relaxed and walked into the office. He picked up the teapot in front of the old man and took two gulps straight from it without touching the cup.

"It's still work hours. Who's as idle as I am?"

Grandpa Xu glared at Shen Qian. "Didn't you seniors get the day off today? What are you doing here?"

"Ah, I'm bored out of my mind, so I thought I'd come help share some of your workload, Grandpa Xu. When I came in just now, I saw that the Simulation Machine was gathering dust. How about I go clean it for you?" Shen Qian said with complete sincerity.

"The Simulation Machine gets used every day. How could it possibly gather dust?" Grandpa Xu said irritably. "Besides, it isn't even off work yet. Is it your turn to clean it?"

Seeing that Shen Qian still had no intention of leaving, Grandpa Xu helplessly shook his head, took out his work ID, and tossed it over. "What I admire most about you is that thick skin of yours... Take it. Just be careful not to damage the equipment!"

"Got it! Don't worry, I'll just rub up against it a little!" Shen Qian immediately beamed. Taking the work ID, he poured Grandpa Xu another cup of tea before slipping out the door.

"Engineer Xu, have you never told him that even with a work ID, the Simulation Machine still charges a fee?" After Shen Qian disappeared, the young man Shen Qian called Brother Zhang could not help asking.

"It's not much money." Grandpa Xu waved dismissively. "Besides, I'm old, and I have no children to trouble me. What do I need so much money for?"

"This kid may have poor talent, but he's got grit. Who knows, maybe one day fortune will turn in his favor and he'll soar into the sky. This is what you call a long-term investment. A person's fate is hard to predict..."

The Physical Testing Hall contained many machines, and Shen Qian was currently standing before a circular apparatus with a circumference of roughly ten meters.

This was the Martial Arts Simulator, a machine specifically used to test martial arts realms and actual combat ability.

Every No.7 High School student had only two free chances to use it each year, one during the final exam of each semester. Any extra use required payment.

Two hundred yuan per session.

Compared to outside prices, this was already practically a free student benefit, but Shen Qian still could not afford it.

It was noon, and there was no one around the Simulator. After he swiped Grandpa Xu's work ID with a beep, the Simulator's hatch opened, and Shen Qian walked inside.

Silver metal surrounded him on all sides, with only a long, strip-shaped device placed in the center.

Shen Qian walked over to the device, put on the helmet, and tapped the "Start" button on it.

A series of clacking sounds rang out. The strip-shaped device seemed to come alive and attached itself directly to Shen Qian's spine. The helmet lit up, Shen Qian's vision went dark, and when he regained awareness, he was already in a field of darkness.

There was an LCD screen by his hand, and a pleasant female voice sounded. "Please select a test scenario."

At the moment, the screen displayed a scenario called "Bronze Man Formation," with an introduction beside it:

Developed by Shaolin Martial Arts University. Suitable for Ninth Stage of Elementary Martial Artist and below. The number of bronze men ranges from 1 to 18, with difficulty ranging from half a star to three stars. The current highest-rated challenger is 'Z,' from Suke Martial University...

There was a great deal of information, as well as switches for different modes. Shen Qian swiped left and right to take a look.

Besides "Bronze Man Formation," there were two other stages suitable for beginner trainees: "A Thread of Sky" and "Wooden Dummy."

Grandpa Xu's employee card had rather high permissions, allowing him to see some later scenarios as well, but those were stages for Beginner Martial Artists and above, so Shen Qian directly ignored them.

After some thought, Shen Qian chose the most basic Bronze Man Formation. After setting the number of bronze men, he tapped "Start."

His consciousness blurred again. When he recovered, Shen Qian was standing on a stone platform, surrounded by misty clouds and empty void.

The stage background could also be changed, with options such as beaches and deserts, but Shen Qian did not care about that.

On the opposite side of the stone platform, a bronze man stood silently, waiting for Shen Qian to launch an attack.

Shen Qian did not waste words. Exhaling sharply with a shout, he leaped into the air and hurled a basic fist technique directly at the bronze man's face.

Then...

Bang!

The bronze man struck faster, smashing Shen Qian to the ground with a single punch.

"The stage has ended. Data is being compiled. If you wish to challenge again, please exit and make a new selection."

The familiar prompt sounded beside his ear, but Shen Qian was not particularly frustrated.

He was used to it...

One bronze man was equivalent to a First Stage Elementary Martial Artist. Naturally, it was not something he, someone who was not even an Elementary Martial Artist, could contend with.

Martial arts were cruel. Most of the time, realm was everything.

Faster speed, greater strength—how could one possibly lose?

Ding!

A prompt sounded, and a panel displaying the statistical data appeared before him.